


Heed my words with due concern

by maggief



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Reveal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-11
Updated: 2012-11-11
Packaged: 2017-11-18 10:18:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/559912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maggief/pseuds/maggief
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Spoilers for 5x06 - a short drabble of what really should have happened at the end.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Heed my words with due concern

“Elyan, no! You cannot overcome it, it will fight to the death!”

Elyan heard his sister’s warning, but he could not heed it. It was his fault she was imprisoned here in the first place, his fault she had been caught. And if he has to die to make amends for that fact, then so be it.

As he faced off against the phantom sword and levelled his own, he heard someone rush into the chamber behind him.

“Arthur!” Gwen cried, thankful to see her husband. “Make him stop!” she pleaded.

Arthur understood the situation immediately, and he also understood what his duty was. 

“Elyan, back off.”

Elyan risked a glance at his king, taking his eyes off the still motionless sword before him. Arthur was now at his side, sword raised.

“I can’t.”

“As your king, I’m ordering you to stand down.” Arthur’s tone is hard, but Elyan is equally as stubborn.

“Please don’t give me that order, sire. It’s my sister, I have to do this.”

Whether it is the obvious pleading in his voice, or the parallel to his own thoughts of love and duty, Arthur acquiesces.

“Very well, we shall stand together then,” he replies, a grim smile on his lips.

The two men stand side by side, brothers at arms, and they attack.

Within minutes they are hot and sweaty, breath coming harshly, and the other knights, Merlin, Gwen can do nothing but watch. If too many of them join the fray, they will only succeed in injuring each other, and so they must leave their king and his brother-in-law to fight in tandem. There is no winning this fight, for how can you fight against a sword that has no hand, has no body to kill.

Suddenly the sword breaks through their defences and runs clean through Elyan’s shoulder, causing him to drop his sword with a shout of pain. The sword withdraws within a second, but the damage is done, and Elyan drops to his knees. Gwen is by his side in an instant, and Arthur fights on; his only goal to keep the sword distracted and away from his wife and her brother.

Arthur continues to defend against the sword, wondering how long he can last. And defence it is – there is no attacking when there is no one to attack, no one to kill, there is no winning here. He knows, at least, that he cannot ask another one of his knights to die in his place. The sword was clearly meant for him. It could easily have gone in for the kill with Elyan, but it had not – that privilege is reserved for Arthur alone.

And then the moment comes. He is too slow, his arms fatigued and heavy, and they cannot reach up to block in time. The sword will pierce his heart, and his only regret is that he didn’t live to see his children born, that he never made his wife pregnant.

Then, inexplicably, unbelievably, the sword stops in mid air, hovering a mere inch from Arthur’s chain mail. It doesn’t make any sense, but there is a deathly silence in the room, the only sound is Elyan’s laboured breathing, and Arthur knows something is horribly wrong.

Someone, Gwaine he thinks, chokes out the word, “Merlin,” and slowly, excruciatingly slowly, Arthur turns to face his men behind him. 

Merlin is standing there, hand outstretched before him as his eyes glow a brilliant gold. It doesn’t make any sense. As Arthur watches, Merlin flicks his wrist, and the sword drops to the floor behind him, the clatter of metal on stone echoing around the room. Merlin’s eyes return to their natural blue, and Arthur understands what he’s just seen.

Without a moment’s conscious thought, his sword is at Merlin’s throat, “Sorcerer!” he spits in anger.

There are unshed tears in Merlin’s eyes, and as he lowers his hand back to his side Arthur can see that he’s shaking. What lies, what deceit is Merlin full of? What game is he playing? All those times he had assured Arthur that magic was evil, that it had no place in Camelot, and yet here he is, using magic himself. There is so much deception here, and a little piece of Arthur dies as once again he realises he can trust no one, not even those closest to him.

“Get out of my sight.” Arthur orders, sword not wavering form Merlin’s throat.

“Arthur…” he pleads.

“Get out of my sight, sorcerer. If I ever see you again, I’ll kill you myself.”

At that, Merlin turns and flees.

When Queen Mab had warned him one of them would not return, he’d never thought that it would be himself.


End file.
